When the cell loses control: understand cancer to defeat it

Giovanni Maga has written a new book entitled: “Quando la cellula perde il controllo: capire il cancro per sconfiggerlo” and edited by Zanichelli. This is a popular book on tumors, suitable for both high school students and university students or curious but not experts adults. The World Health Organization has estimated that in 2018 alone, over 35 million people worldwide have developed cancer. Nearly ten million have died as a result of the disease, making it the leading cause of death in the world. Today we know over 100 different types of cancer, but why are they so many? The answer is in the complex molecular basis at the root of the disease. It is precisely because of this complexity that finding a cure for cancer is one of the most difficult challenges facing modern medicine. Thanks to the knowledge on the molecular basis of cancer, today we can recognize cancer cells, trace their genetic identikit and choose personalized therapies. We can read DNA in search of mutations that cause cancer and develop drugs that only affect diseased cells. We act on our immune system and make it capable of recognizing and attacking tumors. We recruit viruses and bacteria to attack and kill cancer cells. Alternative treatments are a threat instead. Homeopathy, crystal therapy, miraculous diets based on shark cartilage or bicarbonate are deadly traps. Scientific research is the only safe investment to treat cancer.